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Canada's only aboriginal-controlled university, First Nations University of Canada, in Saskatchewan, has been making headlines lately -- for all the wrong reasons. The institution, which enrolls about 2,300 students, has been rocked in the past year by the surprise firings of administrators and faculty members, a criminal investigation, lawsuits, and a multimillion-dollar deficit. Some observers are questioning whether it can survive.
"Nothing like this has happened before in the history of postsecondary education in Canada," says James Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, which is monitoring the situation closely on behalf of faculty members at First Nations University.
The trouble began last February when the chairman of the university's Board of Governors, Morley Watson visited the main campus, in Regina, to investigate allegations of mismanagement. Mr. Watson is also vice chief of the powerful Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, which oversees and finances the institution.
Accompanied by a group of aboriginal leaders...